DIY Christmas Decorations on a Budget
Christmas is one of the most magical times of the year, but it can also be one of the most expensive. So, I’m sharing 15+ DIY Christmas decorations on a budget.
From buying presents to decorating your home, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
But fear not!
With a little creativity and some DIY skills, you can make your home look festive and cozy without breaking the bank. In this blog post, we’ll share some of our favorite DIY Christmas decorations that are easy to make and won’t cost a fortune.
I got to thinking the other day about all of the little, inexpensive everyday items I like to keep on hand to use as props or tools in the decorating process. Many of them are just random household things I like to use. And I thought you all might have the same things on hand. And I say this is for Christmas decorating, but you can use these year-round, which I do!
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Use Everyday Items to Decorate for Christmas
1. Frame Old Christmas Cards
If you have a box of old Christmas cards that you’ve sent out in the past, but they are gathering dust, you can create a gallery wall or special moment on a table with framed old Christmas cards. It’s not only a walk down memory lane, but an easy way to fill a space with beautiful holiday memories!
2. Twig Tree Ornament
If you have some twigs in the yard and scrap craft supplies, this will be such an easy ornament to make! I love a clever and crafty ornament made from simple things you probably already have around the house. So, if you think this is pretty, try a DIY Twig Tree Ornament!
3. Mason Jar Snow Globe
Another fun Christmas ornament DIY can be made out of simple items like a leftover empty candle jar, Epsom salt for snow and miniature items, like a bottle brush tree or other fun Christmas figurines. Repurpose old things with a cute snow globe ornament idea!
4. Gingerbread Village Centerpiece
Have a baking day with your kids or grandkids, then proudly display them in a “village” on a tray as a centerpiece for the rest of the season! We do this every year. Not only do my girls love making gingerbread houses, but they also love displaying them and showing them to everyone who comes over during the holidays!
5. Wrapped Gifts as Decor
This idea only costs some forethought and planning! I highly recommend buying your holiday gifts ahead of time, since the best things sell out. But if you go ahead and wrap them early, you can use them as decor either under the tree or on a table!
6. Free Greenery on Light Fixtures
Every year I will either snip branches from my evergreen trees or go to the leftover bin at Lowe’s looking for discarded evergreen sprigs. They smell so good, but they can also be displayed around the house. I like to put them on the chandelier in my kitchen for a free and festive look!
7. Free Printable Art
If you know me at all, then you know I love some free Christmas printable art for Christmas decorations on a budget! I have gathered some of my favorite holiday art (more than 50!) and use it in various places throughout my home.
8. Jingle Bell Place Holder
Any jingle bell will work for this, but the jumbo jingle bells work best for a place card holder at the dining table!
9. Twine
Who can live without this stuff? It’s the rustic farmhouse cousin to string, I suppose. But I find myself using it all the time. As soon as I see I’m running low, I pick up another spool of it. I typically pick mine up at the hardware store.
Over the years, I’ve used it for everything from wrapping gifts to making garlands.
10. Scrap Paper Garland
I used twine it to string together my DIY Scrapbook Paper Christmas Garland last year. Cheap and pretty!
11. Baker’s Twine
Plain ol’ rustic twine’s cuter cousin is red baker’s twine. Tie it around a candle or use it to add gift tags to a gift and you have an instantly festive look! It comes in many colors and I have to resist buying them all.
12. Epsom Salt as DIY Christmas Decorations on a Budget
Epsom salt is cheap and wonderful in a lavender bath, so I always keep a bag on hand. It also can be used as faux snow! One year, I made these simple bottle brush tree scenes in a mason jar with Epsom salt as snow.
I also used it one year to hold up the candles in mason jars on my galvanized cubby in the entryway.
13. Glass Canisters or Mason Jars
As the above photos show, mason jars can be used for cute candle holders, scene displays or whatever your heart desires. They can be used as a vase for anything all year round. I keep a pack of 12 on hand and even use them for extra cute glasses when I’m having a party.Â
And empty glass canisters can house larger ornaments or figurines to create a beautiful snow scene in glass vessels!
14. Add a Holiday Message with Chalk
I’m always needing to update my chalkboard in my kitchen or write on one of my other chalkboard surfaces. So, I keep a pack of white chalk on hand at all times. Chalkboards are cute and easy to change for every occasion or holiday!
15. Clothes Pins
You never know when you’ll need to hang up a ribbon and attach something cute to it. Enter clothes pins! They can be so cute, especially these mini gold clothespins I use on my Christmas card holder. But the regular ones from the laundry room work great, too!
I make an easy Christmas card holder display every year with ribbon and clothespins on a large mirror!
16. Wrapping Paper
Of course, when decorating for Christmas, you’ll need presents under the tree. As I mentioned before, you can use a wrapped gift as decor. But you can use wrapping paper in other ways as well.
When I needed something to fill the top frame on my gallery wall, I grabbed some cute deer paper and voila! One year, I also needed a way to hide my non-holiday piece of art that’s leaning on the wall in the above photo. So, I simply wrapped it with wrapping paper, added a bow, and it became a part of my Christmas decor!
17. Gift Bags as DIY Christmas Decorations on a Budget
Do you know what the polka dot and chevron prints are in the frames in the photo above? They are gift bags from Target! I wanted to fill those larger frames without having to buy art, and the gift bags were the perfect size. On Christmas Eve, I took them down and used them for gifts!
18. Pretty Scrapbook Paper
You can’t go wrong with some cute scrapbook paper. I love scouring the scrapbook paper aisle to see if anything strikes my fancy. You can cut out large snowflakes for your tree. Or dress up your gifts, like I did here.
Or you can make the scrapbook paper garland I made. Add it on top of a picture frame with seasonal art.
19. Festive Old Shirts and Sweaters
This year I saved a red sweater I was going to give away and cut out pieces of the sleeves to fit around my mercury glass candle holders. It’s the perfect pop of color that doubles as Christmas decorations on a budget!
I’ve also re-used an old sweater as a pillow cover. And I’ve seen some cute flannel shirt rag garlands and wreaths out there. If it’s old fabric, especially the festive kind, then keep it and reuse it!
Final Thoughts
I hope you are inspired by my inexpensive ideas from household items. I’m always trying to think through items I have at the house and using them instead of always running out to the store.
Do you have any household items you regularly use in decor? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
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I love these ideas! Twine and bakers twine are my best friends…and those blue mason jars with the link flowers! (Drool) love it all! Thanks for sharing.
Shonee